Yesterday I participated in a couple hours of planning for our upcoming (May 12-13) Retail IT VAR of the Future event in Las Vegas. Even though the event is just two days away from the office in an easy-to-reach city and economically priced, we recognized early on that we’d have to offer something special to get people to take time away from their businesses and attend. Therefore, when we set out to create this event, we weren’t looking to host another typical show. We set out with uniqueness and greatness in mind. After this latest meeting, I’m reminded of those initial goals and feel confident in what we’ve created for you.

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I was asked by one of our peer group members to provide some advice as it related to the hiring and onboarding of a new salesperson. The potential hire did not have an IT industry background. So my advice to him was twofold, focusing around how to get the non-IT person up to speed and how to quickly integrate the new hire into their company.

In the first part of this series, I shared some strategies around onboarding a salesperson into a new industry. This article will focus on the second question of how to immerse a new hire in your company culture and expectations.

Channels are deeply complex and constantly changing, and in my experience I’ve found that there are several misconceptions and challenges in the marketplace. Market saturation, cost cutting measures, and automation are currently among the key threats to the channel, particularly in the cloud-based phone marketplace.

All IT companies are facing a shortage of qualified workers, and this is especially true for SMB owners. It seems as though the “big boys” have the competitive edge when it comes to compensation packages, perks, and benefits. In addition, the changes brought about via the Affordable Care Act have frustrated many employers, forcing them to reevaluate their benefit packages by dropping some benefits, adding additional benefits, or modifying the plans themselves.

While it’s often necessary for IT solution providers to take small steps when adding cloud services to their line card, thoughtful planning around cloud management goes a long way to protecting future profitability

World Backup Day is upon us. On Tuesday, March 31, folks around the world pause (or at least we imagine them doing so!) to reflect on the importance of backup and recovery and what it means to their business. Are you looking to celebrate? If you haven’t in the past and don’t know how, no need to panic. Here’s a list of four things that every MSP (managed services provider) and VAR should do to commemorate World Backup Day. By doing so, you also set a great example for the SMBs you serve.

Established in 1991, Super Taco Mexican Restaurants serves authentic, home-style Mexican food that has been recognized by local media as “the best in town.” In addition to preparing food from unique recipes and using only the freshest ingredients, the operator prides itself on valuing its customers and providing the highest caliber of services to patrons of its four locations in the Sacramento, California area.

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Datto Inc. is an award-winning vendor of backup, disaster recovery (BDR) and intelligent business continuity solutions, providing best-in-class technology and support to its 5,000+ channel Partners throughout North America and Europe. Datto is the only hybrid-cloud BDR vendor that provides instant on- and off-site virtualization of servers and workstations, achieved through its Inverse Chain Technology.

Harbortouch is a leading national provider of touch-screen point of sale (POS) systems and payment processing services. As pioneers of the “as a service” model, Harbortouch offers an unprecedented “free” POS program that allows the company’s sales partners to offer a full-featured POS system with no up-front costs.

PowaPOS, a division of Powa Technologies, is the physical retail component of the company’s omni-channel product line. The PowaPOS T25 is the first purpose built, all-in-one hardware platform designed for iOS, Android and Windows tablets. Because we believe in the power of the development community to create rich software applications that meet the needs of the marketplace, the PowaPOS T25 is the first tablet POS to provide universal support for any tablet, any application. Though our single API SDK, developers can integrate the T25’s beautifully and intelligently placed peripherals - full size thermal printer, PowaPOS 2D Scanner, swivel position sensor, and PowaPOS Cash Drawer - as well as EMV and Apple Pay-ready payment devices. All with a single power cord. The PowaPOS T25 is an all-in-one and one-for-all POS platform.

For more than 30 years, APG Cash Drawer has been designing and delivering cash drawers with a variety of size, color, interface, and integration options. An APG cash drawer will provide years of smooth, trouble free service with virtually no downtime, no service required, and no headaches. Our cash drawers are so well constructed and so reliable that our customers install them and forget them - even in the most demanding environments.

In 10 minutes. For just a few pennies per day. MAX RemoteManagement™ delivers an easy, affordable solution for IT support and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who are looking to take better care of their clients at less cost.

APG’s NetPRO® interface will be a compelling aspect of your m-POS application. Available with Ethernet, wireless Ethernet and Bluetooth, this cash drawer communicates with retailer’s mobile POS devices for cash drawer control. Concerned about security in today’s mobile world? NetPRO® cash drawers offer Biometric and bar-code claiming for local protection. Worried about keeping an eye on the checkout?

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